GRF Young Professionals Program
2018 – 2019 Term
Fourth and Fifth Meetings

The fourth and fifth round of meetings of the 2018 – 2019 term of the GRF Young Professionals Program, which aims to provide a platform for young professionals who are equipped with the resolve, background, and experience to contribute to the future of Turkey and the world, were held on February 22, 2020 and February 29, 2020 at Koç Pera.

In the 4th meeting held on February 22, the presentations and the discussions focused on the latest developments in the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology. The participants deliberated on how these technologies will play a role in the reshaping of the contemporary social and economic order, as well as contemplating on possible approaches to future ethical problems that will surely emerge from such technologies. Şevket Ruacan, the Founding Dean of Koç University Faculty of Medicine and member of GRF, also attended the meeting and shared his valuable opinions.

The books that are used to frame the discussions are as follows:

• The Synthetic Age: Outdesigning Evolution, Resurrecting Species, and Reengineering Our World - Christopher J. Preston
• The Age of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build the Next Technology Revolution - Susan Hockfield

In the 5th meeting held on February 29 under the moderation of Mr. Doğan Taşkent, the participants discussed the problems and the achievements of the modern capitalist system and their effects on the global social, economic and political order. The discussions were based on the framework provided by two books that approach the issue from contrasting perspectives.

The books that are used to frame the discussions are as follows:

• The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties – Paul Collier
• More From Less: The Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources – and What Happens Next – Andrew McAfee